Police Office In Pennsburg Will Get A Cell

The holding cell is a basic feature in many police stations, but the Upper Perk police have been without one for years.

In its place, officers handcuff subjects to a wall, a setup that is potentially dangerous for police and demeaning for those who are being held, said Police District Chairman Larry Roeder.

Thankfully, Roeder said, the situation is about to end.

The chairman said yesterday that the police department has received $7,000 in state funds for a holding cell and two other projects inside department headquarters at Pennsburg Borough Hall. He said state Rep. Ray Bunt, R-147th District, was instrumental in getting the money.

A ceremony including Bunt, Roeder and the mayors of Red Hill (David Heffley), East Greenville (Bill Thomas) and Pennsburg (Jim Mullen) has been scheduled for this morning to mark the event.

Roeder said work on the cell should be done by early spring of next year. The state money will also be used to purchase a new gas pump and convert an old locker room area into office space for the storage of records.

He said the cell, approximately 8-foot-by-8 foot, will be made of steel and heavy-gauge mesh.

It will probably be installed at the same time renovations are being made to borough hall so it complies with the federal Disabilities Act of 1990, Roeder said. That work will include the installation of wider doors and the modification of a ramp and bathrooms.

Roeder said not having a holding cell is bad for police because they're more vulnerable. When suspects are "handcuffed to the wall, they still have one hand free," he said.

The setup is bad for suspects, Roeder said, because being shackled to a wall is a demeaning experience. He said the cell will create a "more humanitarian environment for the subject being processed."